St. Charles, Mo. — (KSDK) It was an oversight that lasted more than a decade, and now a St. Charles, Missouri woman is paying for a billing mistake she didn’t make.
Nancy Pingel thought she was paying her electric bill for the past 11 years. It turns out she was paying her neighbor’s, and vice versa. And even though power provider Ameren admits to the switch-up, Pingel’s the one who has to pay up.
“I thought that’s crazy,” said Pingel.
The meter-mix up started in April of 2003, but Ameren apparently only figured it out a few months ago.
“It kind of caught me off guard,” Pingel said of a letter she got from Ameren.
It states Pingel, who’s retired and living on Social Security, uses more electricity than her neighbor and owes $555 for the last year.
Ameren wouldn’t comment on Pingel’s predicament, citing confidentiality. Pingel is making payments.
“They need to eat this because this is their problem, not mine. They made the mistake, I didn’t,” she said.
Pingel doesn’t have to pay for all eleven years. State regulations limit it to just one. The other neighbor who overpaid is limited to five years worth of money back.
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